Try to empty your mind!

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I am not writing well today. Every sentence comes out like I'm mumbling cliches. I don't know why. I wanted to write about our weekend, which contained two "I finished my book" celebrations, a series of nature art projects installed throughout the yard, a snow fort, sledding, and a living-room yoga session. There, I've written about it. (That's probably my ten minutes up.)

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Friday afternoon: I sketched a map and a family tree for my book, and scanned them, and sent them to my US editor. I can't draw, and apparently I can't design a family tree or print legibly, but I tried. It was oddly satisfying to map out the location of the story, which has been so clear in my head. This looks just like it! I found myself saying, like I was drawing something from memory, not from imagination.

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Friday evening: Kevin and I decided, rather late into the evening, to duck out for a drink. I've got greasy hair, I argued, and it's so late, and this is not a going-out ensemble (yoga pants and comfy shirt; which I'm actually wearing again today, I see). But he thought we should celebrate. So I changed into jeans, ignored the hair, and we walked uptown. Why is it always so cold? It's always so cold! At the bar, we were seated quickly but ignored entirely. At last, I declared, Two more minutes, and we're giving up and going home; which is when a waitress turned up with heartfelt apologies. The manager turned up too, to comp our drinks (we hadn't complained, being ever so Canadian, so this was an especially nice surprise). Thus, my "finished-my-book" celebration was sponsored by the good people of Beertown.

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Saturday day: Fooey and Kevin worked on a snow fort, while AppleApple worked on nature art. "This is the best school project ever!" she declared. We ended the afternoon by lighting the "snow volcanoes and snow chimney" (see the photo at the top of the post). It was pretty awesome. Kev also took the little kids sledding for the first time this winter, while the older kids played with friends, and I fell asleep on the couch (likely in payment for Beertown's sponsorship the night before).

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Saturday night: Pizza ordered for the kids. Kevin and I went out for dinner and a movie, as originally planned (the extra night of celebration was a last-minute addition). We've seen three movies this year already, which is two more than we saw last year, total. Philomena has been my favourite, far and away. I was underwhelmed by Inside Llewellyn Davis, in which a folksinger drowns in his own self-pity (tell me that isn't a tedious concept!). And I didn't much like Her -- our Saturday movie -- which couldn't decide if it was ironic or aiming for some deeper, more meaningful message; however, the dialogue, when it aimed for deep and meaningful, was truly terrible; also, it featured another self-pitying main character, on whose face the camera fixated for excruciatingly long spells (I suppose that's a necessary complication of a movie about a man in love with his operating system). The best thing about the movie were the pants that all the men wore in this slightly futuristic time and place. I'm dead serious. The pants are hilarious.

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I like going out to the movies. I've realized, though, that I've lost my patience for movies a) in which the characters are very sorry for themselves and/or b) the women play entirely token roles and/or c) love is too mysterious to be understood. Please. Love is not too mysterious to be understood. It's the stuff of living, not the stuff of pondering. Or maybe I'm just grumpy these days.

It is really cold. It just keeps snowing.

I would like to a see a movie in which the girls and women talk to each other, and pursue interests that do not relate to romance or motherhood (we can throw some of that in too, but it doesn't have to be the full meal deal). Y'know? Am I missing those movies? Are they out there?

Sunday day: morning run to kick out my restlessness, outside even though it was snowing and really cold; soccer game in Mississauga; late-afternoon tasks and organizing, while Kevin made pad thai.

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Sunday evening: yoga in our living-room, led by AppleApple.

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Actual dialogue, overheard during savasana:

AppleApple [soothing tones]: Try to empty your mind.

CJ: This is so BORING!

AppleApple [soothing tones]: Lie still. Try to empty your mind. [pause] [tones becoming less soothing] Lie still! [pause] I can see what you're doing! Try to EMPTY YOUR MIND!

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